Y&R Stars React To Their Daytime Emmy Nominations

Learn what these Y&R actors had to say about their Daytime Emmy nominations!

As you may have heard, The Young and the Restless scored an impressive total of 27 Daytime Emmy nominations this year, including Outstanding Drama Series. We spoke with five of the nine Y&R actors up for the prestigious awards to learn just what went through their heads when they learned the news.

Christian LeBlanc

Where were you when you found out?

Christian LeBlanc: "On set! We were all on set shooting scenes. I think Steve Burton noticed first, and he's going, 'Check your feed, check your Twitter,' and then we looked down and they were slowly coming in. I guess it was live while we were doing it."

What was one of your favorite moments from this season?

Christian: "The prostate cancer storyline, which became very personal. I run now in the prostate cancer charity in New Orleans. It's only their second year, and one of the top [prostate cancer] specialists in the country lives there ... and he helped me with the storyline. It all circles back to my hometown, so it was really nice."

How do you feel about the scene you submitted for nomination?

Christian: "I was given this scene that was just wonderful. It was effortless ... Any recognition I've had, I've made it on the shoulders and heads of other people. That's how it should be. It's a team effort, and it's amazing."

Justin Hartley

What's it like being nominated?

Justin Hartley: "It's humbling. Some of my co-stars also got nominated, and the show got nominated, which is amazing and well-deserved. I'm happy to be part of a show that's nominated as a whole. I think that's the most important thing. That means everything's going right. To be nominated is fantastic. It's a great feeling."

How did you choose your submission clip?

Justin: "I sort of left that to Missy [Claire Egan], to be honest with you ... She's got great taste, and she's worked with me every day for the last year, so I sort of left it to her. It was about the Adam reveal, so it was good stuff. And, it's easy when you're working with someone like her. It's show up, hit your mark, say your line, and she takes care of the rest. She's amazing."

How do you and Melissa Claire Egan prepare for your scenes together?

Justin: "One of the things Missy and I have worked so hard on is [deconstructing these stories] ... The stories [can be] completely unbelievable, so what you have to do is take the story and somehow ground it, and we've worked really hard on doing that. To have the audience respond the way they did was really gratifying for both of us."

What was one of your favorite moments from this season?

Justin: "The Adam reveal. We had led up to the whole thing where people found out who he was and then having [Chelsea] find out who he was and everything he had to own up to [was intense]."

What can we expect in the future?

Justin: "There's some stuff coming up that's good."

Bonus teaser: Justin mentioned some of his upcoming scenes might feature him shirtless!

Steve Burton

What do you love about being on set?

Steve Burton: "I've known Josh [Morrow] forever, and we play brothers, so that's been really easy. Melody [Thomas Scott] and I became really close really quickly. [We] just had chemistry, and she's awesome—she's like my mom! And then, of course, Doug [Davidson]. He really is one of my best friends in life, and he's my dad on the show. He's a mentor of mine; I love the guy. This whole place really is like a big family."

Bryton James

Were you shocked to receive your nomination?

Bryton: "Yeah, I was actually very surprised. I thought I had good material this year, but it was just nice for it to be confirmed. And, it's my first nomination in [the Supporting category], so I'm excited for that."

What's been one of your favorite moments this year?

Bryton: "My character got married on the show, so I that's I think that's [memorable]. You're not really on a soap until you've gotten married at least once or twice."

Lauralee Bell

What's been one of your favorite storylines from this past season?

Lauralee Bell: "The storyline that I submitted [for the Daytime Emmys]. My character is very serious and very lawyer-ish, and this was the one time in the year that we really got to play scenes about a relationship and was about something that people can relate to. My character has never wanted to have a child, and then after many years, she decided her life is going by, and she does love Paul ... So, finally, they decided to have a baby, and sadly, they lost the baby. For me, any sort of human emotion is always the most fun to play."

How does it feel to be nominated?

Lauralee Bell: "It feels great ... To be in the final 10 was exciting—that was a new thing [for me]. And, I thought, 'I'll never get the nomination, I can't imagine.' It was quite a shock."

Tracey Bregman

Where were you when you found out?

Tracey Bregman: "I was in an airplane, and just happened to have the East Coast feed of The Talk on! I found out, and I'm going, 'Oh my God, I can't jump on a chair and celebrate!'"

What's been one of your favorite moments from the season?

Tracey: "I loved the storyline of Michael and Lauren struggling with [Michael's] prostate cancer. I loved that emotional struggle. To see so much response from couples who have experienced that has been incredible."

Kristoff St. John

Where were you when you found out?

Kristoff St. John: "Every Emmy nomination has been special ... This year, I found out at home through Twitter. My dad and I did a little happy dance. It feels wonderful."

You've won two Daytime Emmys already. Does that take some of the pressure off this year?

Kristoff: "Absolutely not! The second time I won, it felt like the first time. I can only imagine that the same kind of feeling will wash over me just being in that room. It's been 31 years since an African-American male won a lead role. I'm just proud to be in that circle. If I do win, it'll be a trifecta. It'll have been Outstanding Younger Actor In A Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series, and Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series!"

Hunter King

What have been some of your favorite moments from this season?

Hunter King: "I really like the Natalie and Summer stuff right now—their banter. I like the stuff with Mariah lately, too. They've had some struggles in the past, and they've kind of butted heads, but recently it seems like maybe there's a new friendship with Mariah—also, maybe a new friendship with Luca. There are so many new friendships and avenues right now for Summer."